This invention relates to driers for use in drying wet granular material and more particularly for providing a means of continuously drying wet granular material, such as sand, in such a manner as to provide the dried granular substance in small to moderate quantities.
The need for driers which can be used to effectively dry wet granular material such as sand has long been known. Dry sand is a frequent requirement in various aspects of the construction industry. One use for dry sand is in the mixing of certain dry premix mortars and cements. A second use for dry sand is the use of sand blasters wherein dry sand is mixed with air at high pressure and used for a variety of situations such as the removal of paint or rust from metals.
Driers which have been commonly used have employed several methods of obtaining a dry, non-clumped product. One of the main problems associated with the drying of any granular material is its tendency to clump or agglomerate. This problem has often been solved by providing driers with a stirring mechanism or by building multi-level type driers. When these type of mechanism have been employed, the driers have been, by necessity, high volume and thus large in size. The large size of these dryers usually requires the dryer to be permanently employed at a given site.
In certain situations it is desirable to have a small mobile continuous drier that does not need to be permanently placed. This mobile ability can often allow for great savings in transportation and hauling costs. It is further desirable to have a drier that its simple and has relatively few or no moving parts with the exception of fans or vacuums.
From the foregoing discussion it can be seen that it would be advantageous to create a continuous sand dryer which has relatively few, if any, moving parts and can easily be moved from one job site to another.